


Wanderlust

by Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities/pseuds/Loveandcoffeeandothersimplicities
Summary: Two souls meant to be together always find a way back.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty & Sweet Pea
Comments: 14
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello all. It's been a long time. Let me catch you up to speed. My grandmother and best friend on the face of the planet has lung cancer. She's got maybe a couple of months, tops. I have been so overly depressed that all I do is sleep and work. I am just now finding the energy to write again so please forgive me for being MIA. I haven't given up on my bughead. I just needed some time to myself. Hope you're all doing well as usual. Here's a new story and I'll be going on a deleting spree with the ones I know won't get finished. Hope you enjoy. Xxx

Betty Cooper stared at the patrons of the Whyte Wyrm. It was her night to work behind the bar. Toni had worked the past four and she knew the poor girl was desperate for a weekend with her girlfriend, so Betty gave her a long weekend off. Chuckling at her pink-haired friend's exuberance upon seeing the schedule, Betty waved off her half-hearted protests and told her to have some fun, for God's sake. Lord knew one of them needed it. Just then, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Boss, trouble in the back. Want me to take care of it?" Sweet Pea asked, and Betty sighed.

"Pea, how many times have I told you not to call me boss?" Betty demanded; eyebrow quirked.

"Well, Jones III is in prison and Jones II bailed, so that leaves you, boss," the taller serpent smirked.

"You're such a little shit, you know that?" Betty huffed.

"Yeah, but you love me," he shot back.

Besides the point. "Go take care of the mess in the back. I'll be there if you need me."

Sweet Pea nodded and made his way to a back corner in the smokey bar and she continued pouring shots and cracking open beer bottles. Soon enough, Sweet Pea was back.

"He won't leave?" Betty asked wisely.

"No, seemed pretty adamant to talk to you, no matter how many times I threatened to punch his pretty face," the guy scowled. Betty sighed as she threw down the rag she had been wiping the bar with.

"Alright," she replied. "Let's go take care of this shit."

Betty and Sweet Pea, and soon enough, Joaquin and Fans, made their way over to the back corner where a familiar, yet entirely unwelcome head of red hair sat in a booth.

"Andrews, what are you doing here?" Betty demanded.

"On last name basis now huh, Betty? Once upon a time, we used to be friends," Archie Andrews said, looking at her. Betty squared her shoulders.

"Yeah, that was before you decided to fuck my best friend behind my back," she said levelly.

"C'mon, babe, Veronica had nothing on you," he slurred, eyes roaming over her in a way that would once make her feel disgusted but now she was just pissed off. Narrowing her eyes, she looked at Pea and Joaquin, nodding at them. They nodded in turn and each seized an arm and pulled Archie out of the booth.

"Come back here again, Andrews, and you'll pay in more than money," Sweet Pea said, and Betty immediately froze as she was transported back to that night. The night that everything had gone to shit. After the Black Hood being shot; after her mother overdosing when FP ended back up in jail; and finally, after Jughead saying he would always love her, but he couldn't stay in a place that had caused him and his family too much pain. Fangs must have noticed how tense she had gotten because he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You okay, little Coop?" Fangs asked softly, and she nodded, mouth in a grim line.

"Fine," she said, then turned on her heel and went to serve the remaining people in the bar until it closed. Eventually, after a few choicer words, the last customer walked out, and Sweet Pea locked the door. Betty began cleaning up behind the bar as Fangs counted the one and only till they had. She had promised FP, when he was arrested, she would look after the Serpents. It had first started with making sure they had food and their trailers were cleanly enough for them to live in. Then, after that God-awful night with Ghoulies, and Fangs, Toni, and Sweet Pea finding her outside of the Wyrm, bleeding and shaking uncontrollably, she had demanded to join. For protection. Part of her had expected them to put up a fight because she had been Jones's girl, but they had said he made his bed; she should be able to, too.  
So, after doing all the trials of the initiation and running the gauntlet, (fuck you, Pea, and your fucking brass knuckles), Betty was one of them. She earned her jacket and bike and made her way up to the top. As much as she detested being called boss, she knew she was. FP was in jail and Jughead was gone; she took over when no one else had stepped up. They looked up to her; they were her family. Along with Cheryl. Veronica…well, she didn't know what the Lodge girl was up to nor did she care. It wasn't the fact that she had slept with Archie; Betty knew they were going to end up with each other again. It was the fact that she hadn't been there when she needed her the most. Hadn't been there when she had been rap-no. Stop. Not again. We're not going down that road.

Betty curled her nails inwards, just hard enough to feel the dig of them into her soft flesh before she saw Fangs walk up to her and squeeze her wrist, shaking his head slightly. She sighed but nodded, loosening her fists. Fangs had caught her one afternoon, when she was outside, frustrated with dealing with so much shit. Her fists had been curled so tightly she wasn't surprised there was blood trickling down her wrists. He looked at her for a moment, before walking back inside, only to come back out with a first-aid kit. He had mumbled something about Jughead most likely being the one who should do that, but he wasn't there, (didn't she know that), and he was going to have to do. After that, he offered her a cigarette and sat outside with her, letting her talk if she wanted to. She did. They became close. Close enough for him to tell her he was gay. And too scared to tell anyone else, especially Sweet Pea. She understood what he wasn't saying and swore not to tell anyone.

After closing up, Betty headed out back with Fangs for one final cigarette before calling it a night. He was joking about some shit that had happened with Tallboy when something caught her eye.

"Fangs, do you see that?" Betty asked, nodding her head to the right of him. He peered over his shoulder, squinting.

"Yeah, looks like…"

"Betty Cooper, what the fuck are you doing here and why the hell are you wearing a fucking Serpents Jacket?" Jughead Jones demanded, frowning.

Well, fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Betty stared at the man in front of her for a long moment, calculating everything about his expression before taking a long drag of her cigarette. Exhaling the smoke into a billowing cloud, she laughed. "Fuck off with the attitude, Jones." She took great pleasure in the way Jughead's eyes widened.

"Betts..," he trailed off, watching her. She snickered.

"No. No "Betts", Forsythe. You lost that right the night you walked away and didn't look back," she commented, finishing off her cigarette before flicking it away. She could feel Fangs watching the conversation unfold. She nodded at him. "We're good here, Fangs. Head on out."

"You sure?" Fangs asked, voice quiet. Betty nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. Fangs squeezed her wrist, trailing his thumb over her knuckles. She knew he was reminding her to not harm herself and nodded. She wouldn't. Not over Jughead fucking Jones. Fangs walked away without so much as a word to Jughead and Betty flipped her hair over her shoulder, walking off herself.

"Betty, wait!" Jughead called, and she heard his footsteps hurrying to catch up with her. She sighed.

"What the fuck do you want, Jughead?" Betty demanded. "Why the hell are you back in Riverdale?"

"I missed it. Home. You," he said, shrugging helplessly. She laughed. It was cruel.

"That's funny," she said. "I didn't. Miss you."

Blatant lie. She definitely missed him, but she refused to be hurt again. So much had happened because he left. Her attack by the Ghoulies; her mom dying. Well, to be fair, she had overdosed because FP ended up in jail but it's the principal of the matter. Jughead had left her to deal with all this shit on her own. She wasn't about to open her arms for him to come waltzing into. Too little, too late.

"Betty," he whispered. "What happened?"

She laughed dryly. "Besides the fact that you ran when shit went south? Nothing. Had a lovely chat with the Ghoulies, ran the gauntlet, and now have all the respect of the Serpents." She paused. "Well, the ones that matter."

She watched as he flinched and felt a vindictive pleasure at that.

"Wait, what happened with the Ghoulies?" Jughead demanded, voice dark.

"Nothing to worry about," she replied. "We took care of it."

He placed his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"Don't fucking touch me," she hissed, eyes flashing. He nodded.

"Okay," he said softly, contritely. "I'm sorry."

She laughed. "Oh, you're sorry? For what? For leaving when FP went to jail? For not answering your fucking phone when my mom died? For what?"

She was shouting by this point, too angry to notice the look of heartache on his face. She kept going. "Sorry for the fact that Veronica and Archie fucked after Archie started dating me? Sorry for the fact that Sweet Pea had to step up and be a brother to me when you fucking left? When the nights were so fucking hardI couldn't breathe? Sorry that Fangs saw me piercing my damn palms one day and had to help me bandage them because you weren't fucking there to help?" She was pushing his chest as she shouted at him. For his credit, he took the hits. She stopped to catch her breath and he quickly intervened.

"God, I'm so fucking sorry, I can't say it enough. But I'm back and I'm not going anywhere," he said firmly. She shrugged.

"Good for you," she said coolly. "I hope you find a job or something because Serpents won't welcome you back. After FP got arrested and I went through the Gauntlet, it was quickly decided I was best to run things. So, when I say we won't welcome you back, I mean me."

They stared at each other for a long moment before he eventually nodded. "Yeah, I don't expect to be let back in."

She didn't say anything, and the silence was suffocating. He spoke up again a moment later.

"You and Archie?" Jughead asked.

She snorted. "That's what you got out of what I just said?"

Jughead quickly shook his head. "No, of course not. But you don't seem to want to talk about the other things – your mom's death and whatever happened with the Ghoulies, so I figured a safer territory couldn't hurt?" His voice was hopeful, and she knew he wanted her to talk to him about something.

Betty rolled her eyes, quickly lighting another cigarette. Fuck it. "Yeah, Archie and I dated for a bit – he fucked Veronica one night while I was doing a run. Fangs and Pea took care of it. He'll show up at the Wyrm from time to time, get drunk and try to get back together."

Jughead nodded. "Do you miss him?"

Her eyes hardened. "No more than I miss you."

She wasn't about to be caught in the middle of some dick measuring competition.

Jughead exhaled a sigh as he nodded slowly. "So, when did the smoking start?"

While he had smoked during their relationship, she hadn't. She had never judged him for it, of course, she just didn't want to join in. Then, she picked it up when she joined the Serpents. Seemed almost inevitable with how much they all smoked. Minus Toni. Cheryl kicked her ass for even trying one night.

"One night while running the bar," she replied.

"You, uh, work at the Wyrm?" Jughead asked, clearly hoping for more conversation but she was done.

"You don't get to know about my life," she said simply. She finished her second cigarette before crushing it onto the pavement and looking at him. "I'm going to head out. Your trailer is still there. Kept it clean for when FP gets out eventually. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you again when that happens." She turned on her heel and walked away from him, suddenly exhausted and wanting nothing more than to go to her apartment. She couldn't – wouldn't – live in her house on Elm Street. Plus, being in the Serpents now meant she was an ex-Northsider. She wasn't exactly welcomed anymore on that side of town. Not that she gave a shit. The people there was as fake as they came. Sighing tiredly, she straddled her bike, ignoring the feel of her ex's eyes on her back the whole time.

Author's note: Honestly, forgot about this one. Might keep continuing it if people want me to. Also, if I do, Betty will not be this much of a little shit to Jughead. They'll work through it.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Jughead made it back to the old trailer he used to live in, he was exhausted. He had been traveling all day, coming home after being gone for so long. He wasn't going to lie; he did not expect a homecoming. But he also did not expect to find out Betty not only ran the Serpents, but she hated him more than he dreamed possible. He definitely deserved it. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face tiredly as he let himself into the trailer, dropping his bag on the ground before making his way to his old room. Too tired to do anything more than change out of his clothes, Jughead promptly collapsed onto the bed after, falling into a deep sleep.

XXX

The next morning dawned early and he decided to go to Pop's, hoping that at least the older man didn't have an issue with him. He wouldn't be surprised or blame him if he did. Driving down the familiar streets of the tiny town, Jughead allowed memories to wash over him. There was the bookstore he and Betty would always sneak off to if they wanted to escape their responsibilities for a few hours. The swimming hole that they had spent many hours in, getting lost in one another the way only true lovers could.

As he pulled into the parking lot of the diner and cut his engine, he glanced around once more. It wasn't filled with their old friends; wasn't filled with the people who used to torment him in high school before Betty, then the Serpents, protected him. Sighing, he shook his head at himself. He didn't stay when she needed him, when any of them needed him. He was consumed by his pain after FP went to jail but that, in reality, was nothing to the pain Betty and the Serpents felt. Betty. God, Betty. Her mother did a fucking overdose. Alice Cooper, someone who would never do drugs had turned to them when his dad got arrested. And he ran. Ran as far as he could. It was too much, and he couldn't breathe; Betty couldn't either.

He made his way into the diner after prolonging walking in for as long as he could. Jughead made his way to a booth in the back, eyes down as he heard whispers start filtering in the room. Sitting down, he ordered a black coffee and breakfast burger when the waitress came by. Even though he had never seen her when he lived in Riverdale, her eyes felt accusatory; judgmental. He wasn't sure if that was the case or if he was being paranoid, but he was still fucking worried either way. Just then, someone slid into the booth across from. Looking up, he sighed.

"Sweet Pea," Jughead said, eyes watching the taller man he knew he had no right to call a friend. Not at the moment.

Sweet Pea's eyes were hard as he studied Jughead, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Sweet Pea had always been the gang's intimidation factor. With his height, affinity for brass knuckles, and overall "fuck with me, I dare you" attitude, and the Serpents were lucky he was on their side.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Jones?" Sweet Pea hissed, hardened eyes still glaring holes into him. Jughead sighed.

"I wasn't," he muttered, looking into his coffee.

"Damn right you weren't. Do you have any idea what you did to Betty?" Sweet Pea snapped.

Jughead exhaled shakily. "I know I hurt her."

"Oh, get the fuck over yourself, Jones. Don't make this about you by claiming you hurt her. Plenty of people have," Sweet Pea spat. Jughead watched him curiously.

"You know about whatever happened with the Ghoulies?" Jughead asked.

Sweet Pea tensed his jaw. "We took care of it. The Serpents."

Jughead nodded, knowing he wasn't going to get any more information – knowing he didn't have the right to know anything until Betty decided if he could. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he debated asking his ex-gang member something. "You, uh, care about her?"

Sweet Pea snorted. "Fucks sake, Jones. Of course, I care about her. I had to be a friend while she was being a leader."

Jughead nodded. "Heard she ran the Gauntlet."

Sweet Pea just stared at him.

"You hit her with the brass knuckles?" Jughead asked, voice wavering slightly.

"I don't take it easy on new members, Jones. I knew she had the intelligence and emotional strength to be a member; she needed to see if she had the physical. Wasn't personal and I hated doing it," he said, tone a bit softer than when he first sat down. Then, his eyes flashed, and he was speaking once more. "Heard she said you're not welcomed with the Serpents. I'm here to follow up with that claim. I don't want to see your face at the Wyrm. If I catch you there, I'll throw you out myself."

Jughead stared at him, wondering just how much Sweet Pea cared for his ex. "No problem."

Sweet Pea must have seen the questions he wasn't asking in his eyes and he sighed.

"Look Jones, not that I owe you any explanation, but I'm not interested in Betty. She's not interested in me. She's like Toni in the sense she's a sister. I'd die for her but not because I'm in love with her," he said. Jughead didn't have to question the honesty of his proclamation. He nodded.

"Thanks, man," he said. Sweet Pea just rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Meant what I said about not showing your face at the Wyrm. You're not welcomed until Betty says you are," he said. Jughead looked at him curiously. Was Betty considering forgiving him? Sweet Pea's lip twitched slightly for the first time. "You have to work for her forgiveness, Jones. But it may be there."

With that, Sweet Pea nodded at Pop and walked out of the diner, lighting a cigarette as he went. Jughead watched as Pop himself came to refill his coffee. He looked at him apprehensively, worried if the older man was going to say anything about how disappointed in him he was. Pop chuckled.

"Well, I think that was sound advice," he said wisely. "Earn your girl's forgiveness, Jughead." He turned and walked away, pausing for a moment to look over his shoulder. "And don't leave again. You're a loyal customer. I need you for business." Pop walked off with a laugh and Jughead felt himself smiling for the first time since getting back. Maybe, he had a fighting chance.

Author's note: Sorry that Betty wasn't actually in this. I just wanted one between Pea and Jughead. They will actually have a few. I already have ideas I'm sorting through for those chapters. Enjoy! XXX


	4. Chapter 4

Betty lit a cigarette, inhaling a long drag as she leaned against her motorcycle, watching the passerby. Many people in Riverdale, both on the North and South sides, watched her cautiously. There were the typical hints of interest, of course, but for the most part, there was vague fear. People, especially the Northsiders, didn't understand how Betty Cooper of all people could climb her way in the ranks of one of the most notorious gangs Riverdale had ever seen. Too bad they didn't seem to remember Riot Night, or they would be wise enough to realize that it was, in fact, the fucking Ghoulies they needed to be worried about.

Betty snorted. Fucking typical. The Serpents had been taking shit from the town for years already and the Ghoulies didn't help their image in the slightest. It was why, when Betty joined, she vowed to wipe the earth of them if it was the last thing she did. Not only for what they did to her but for what they did to her family as a whole. Pea had been in countless precarious situations with them and, had Betty not been there as backup, she wasn't sure her best friend would have survived. Sighing, she shook her head as she flicked her ash. She was currently waiting for fucking Veronica Lodge of all people. The last person she wanted to see but the raven-haired princess said she needed to speak to her. Eyes falling on the woman getting out of the car that had just pulled up, Betty sighed. Speak of the devil.

"Betty, so good to see you!" Veronica cried, running forward to hug her. Betty raised her hand up, halting the other woman in her tracks as Betty physically took a step back.

"I'm sorry princess, but have I given any inclination that I want you to hug me?" Betty asked sharply, watching with some vindictive satisfaction as Veronica's face crumpled.

"What happened between us, B? We used to be best friends," Veronica muttered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Yeah, was that before or after you fucked my boyfriend or before or after you ignored me the one night I needed you the most?" Betty snapped, in no mood to deal with the brunette's self-pity. It was sorely misplaced, and Betty had no problem putting her in her place.

"Well, you took Archie from me first," Veronica mumbled, trailing off with a frown. Betty laughed.

"For argument's sake and a little fun, I'll remind you myself: you two had broken up when Archie fell in bed with me. It wasn't my fault he chose me. Then, went back to you. Then, back to me. Well, tried. I think the kick to his balls was as clear as it was going to get that I am no one's sloppy seconds," she smirked, knowing the dig would hurt her ex-friend more than anything else.

Veronica frowned. "What did you mean "the one night I needed you the most"?"

Betty chuckled. "Doesn't matter. Not anymore. You weren't there and now it doesn't matter."

Her mind was on the very horrific attack she went through. Through multiple members of the Ghoulies. The amount of testing she had to do just to ensure she was still clean wasn't something she was going to forget anytime soon, if ever.

"I-I mean, did something happen?" Veronica probed hesitantly but Betty wasn't in the mood for a stroll down memory lane, least of all with Veronica fucking Lodge. Snubbing out her cigarette, she leveled the other woman with a harsh glare.

"What did you need to meet with me for, Lodge?" She asked, not mincing words or tone.

Veronica sighed. "Daddy has a vendetta with the Serpents."

"When does he not?" Betty asked calmly.

"No, I mean, it's different this time," Veronica bit her lip, seemingly lost in thought, before shaking her head. "I don't know exactly what instigated this issue but he's hellbent on bringing the gang down once and for all."

"You mean, like he did on Riot Night?" Betty asked pointblank, pushing the thoughts of her ex-boyfriend's broken and battered body out of her mind. Out of everything that had happened in her life – her mothers' death, her father being a serial killer and ultimately ending up murdered in front of her and her own gang-rape, Jughead laying limply in FP's arms, broken beyond belief, had been the most painful thing Betty had ever endured. Not that Jughead would know that.

Veronica shuddered and Betty knew she too was feeling the ramifications from that awful night. She thawed out slightly, knowing her then friend hadn't wished ill on Jughead and had tried to do the right thing by buying Pops from her dad just so the Serpents and, FP in particular, could have a safe place amongst a town filled with hateful people. "Yeah."

Betty nodded, taking in the words for a moment, before straddling her bike. "Thanks. I'll handle it."

With that, she was off, not looking back at the Latina she once trusted as a sister. More than her own sister.

XXX

Pulling up to the trailer park, Betty spotted Pea and Fangs hanging outside their trailers. She nodded at them, lighting another cigarette as she went, catching sight of Jughead stepping out of FP's trailer as she did. She paused for a moment before beckoning him over with a flick of her wrist. She knew Pea would have questions, but her second-in-command respected her enough to know that she knew what she was doing. She waited until Jughead made his way to them, a look of curiosity etched into his features.

"Meet up with Lodge?" Sweet Pea asked, eyes flickering to Jughead before back to Betty. She nodded.

"She said some very interesting things at that," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "Apparently Hiram has a bounty on the Serpents. As bad as Riot Night," she added, eyes shifting to Jughead. He looked pensive and tense, no doubt remembering that night.

Fangs exhaled a sigh. "Shit, what did we do this time to make it as bad as that night?"

She knew her friend was remembering being shot by Midge Klump's mother, who had mistakenly thought the crime her own father committed had been an act committed by Fangs. Frowning at him, Fangs met her look and shook his head.

"You know every single one of us here, least of all me, blame you for Klump. She made her choice, a choice driven by anguish, and is paying for it. And you're not your father, Coop," he assured, and she nodded, knowing he understood her fear.

"Thanks," she said, before clearing her throat. "We need to watch our backs. All of us. It now not only seems like the Ghoulies will be the only bounty hunters."

Pea nodded, eyes once more drifting to Jughead.

"And Jones?" Sweet Pea asked.

Fuck you Pea for making me face this issue now. Swallowing down her frustration, she nodded.

"Once a Serpent, always a Serpent," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "We watch his back, too."

With that, she marched into her trailer, feeling the eyes of every person under her command watching after her.

Author's note: Shit guys, three fics updated in the last day. Proud about that. Xxx


End file.
